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Ansari murder: Locals protest against police administration

Locals have been refusing to collect the body of MaulanaKhursid Ansari, chairman of a local school management committee, who was shot dead by unidentified persons at Bhutaha Bazaar in Harinagar Rural Municipality-2, Sunsari, on Thursday. The locals said they will not collect the body until the police administration brings the perpetrators to justice.

Police said that four motorcycle-borne gunmen shot dead Ansari in a broad daylight in the town before fleeing to India. He was shot in his temple and left torso. But police haven’t found any lead yet.

Ansari was popular in the village as a social worker, school owner, central vice-chairman of Muslim Society and Nepali Communist Party (NCP) district advisor.

As the gunmen were fleeing to India, they also shot police Constable Shiva Poudel who had tried to stop them at Ghuksi Bazaar.

Bhutaha Bazaar is situated 14 km north of Nepal-India border. Locals took to the street after the police failed to nab the culprits despite having three security checkpoints on the way that the four gunmen fled.

Locals have been criticising the police administration saying that even the Armed Police Force (AFP) personnel stationed at Bhutaha and Ghuski border points also failed to apprehend the gunmen.

The bazaar areas of Bhutaha and Ghuski areas remained shutthroughout the day today. Vehicular movement has come to a grinding halt due to the agitation.

Though the locals had tried to attack a police post at Bhutaha, no untoward incidents have been reported yet.

Locals have been protesting against the police administration keeping the body on the road in the Bhutabazaar. They have been demanding the government announce Ansari as martyr, provide a suitable compensation to his family and book the culprits at the earliest.

Chief District Officer of SunsariPrem Prasad Upreti said that he just got the information that the Home Ministry has deployed a team of Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) to investigate the incident.

He said that the CIB team will investigate the incident while a five-member high-level probe committee formed under the headship of SSP Kishor Kumar Dahal of Eastern Regional Police Office,Biratnagar has already started its investigation.

“Locals have not agreed to collect the body. Discussion is underway. The Home Ministry has sent a proposal to the Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers to address the demands of agitating locals like giving martyr status to Ansari and providing proper compensation to his family members,” he said, adding, “The demands of locals could be address today as the Cabinet should take the decision on the same.”

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